Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Snow ghost

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With the frigid temperatures remaining, but most of the snow gone by yesterday, we awoke to yet a few more inches of fresh snow this morning! For whatever reasons, the chimpanzees LOVE to eat snow (and icicles!) so we put out several buckets again, topped to the brim with the fresh, powdery stuff. As the snow eating forage went on we could see some of the chimps shiver occasionally, covering up in blankets, slapping the ground seemingly experiencing a bit of “brain-freeze” and yet still, they continued to shovel the snow treats in with gusto and excitement!

Jamie eventually gathered her buckets around and covered herself up completely with a sheet. At first, we couldn’t tell who it was under there:

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At one point, she finally laid down and playfully buried herself in her nest completely, occasionally popping her head out…

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…only to go back to eating more snow from her nest:

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Finally, Jamie had enough and like an apparition, she headed upstairs to the warmer loft completely covered in her sheet. You can just make out her bum and the heel of her boot under there:

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And then there’s Foxie. This girl was so cold she was shivering, but was too excited to stop eating the snow!

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The chimp house is kept at a toasty temperature and they have radiant floor heating, but all that snow eating would make anyone cold! We decided we needed to warm the chimpanzees up so we offered hot tea service for everyone afterward which was quite a hit. But isn’t that one of the best things about wintertime? Feeling the elements down to your bones and then getting to warm up with a cozy treat afterward?

While this might not always be considered to be the most ideal of locations for a chimpanzee sanctuary, the four seasons we have here bring so much to the chimpanzees lives for them to explore and experience. I would think after decades of darkness and deprivation, having such a variety for their senses and minds to experience would make life feel that much more…well, alive.

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Running in the Rain

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It has been pouring rain at the sanctuary all day, and as wonderful as it is, Jamie doesn’t seem particularly thrilled. She insisted that we go for a walk several times early this afternoon, but was deterred by the rain. I could sense her growing frustration, especially as she began tossing trolls and pieces of paper down from the playroom loft. She emphatically gestured toward the cowboy boots again, so I put them on and went to meet her at the bottom of the hill. Again, she was nowhere to be found. I went to the green house to check on her, and as soon as she saw me her eyes opened wide in excitement and she ran out onto the hill! I hurried to catch up with her, and we went for a record speed walk (with intermittent running) around the hill. There’s something exhilarating about running in the rain!

Meanwhile, Annie and Negra kept each other entertained in the playroom:

Intrepid Explorers

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Hi everyone! My name is Whitney and I am filling in for Keri as a temporary staff caregiver for the chimpanzees while she is on maternity leave. I began volunteering at CSNW about two years ago, and one of my favorite things about coming here is witnessing the chimpanzees’ confidence grow.

Today was no exception. As background to this story, any time we enter part of the chimpanzees’ enclosure to clean, every staff member, intern, and volunteer present in the building must perform a series of safety checks before the room in question can be unlocked. Part of the checks involve visually identifying all seven chimpanzees in rooms other than the one we want to enter.

This morning I went to identify the chimpanzees so we could enter the playroom for cleaning, and after extensive searching I could only find two of them in the building. Lo and behold, five of the seven were way out on the hill! It took some time, but I eventually saw Burrito, Jody, Missy, Foxie, and Annie as they explored the hill, occasionally appearing between bamboo and climbing up their magnificent climbing structures. I remember that just two years ago it was a delightful surprise to see any of the Seven out exploring the hill, even close to the greenhouse, and now it seems to be a daily occurrence that they are not only on the hill but are now confident enough to explore their home far and wide.

I couldn’t get any pictures while they were out on the hill this morning, but here are a few of my favorites from this afternoon. Some grooming, some lunch, some play time with friends.

Annie (right) grooming her best friend Missy (left):

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Burrito, caught in a rare playful mood (just kidding, he’s almost always in a playful mood):

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Foxie grooming her foot:

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Jamie, ever inventive, enjoyed her lunch at a makeshift table:

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Trust

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It takes a lot of trust for two chimpanzees to play together. Many play behaviors are variations on fighting behaviors – chasing, wrestling, stealing, slapping, hitting, etc. – and as play gets more aggressive, it’s easy to misunderstand your partner’s intentions. When the chimps first arrived at the sanctuary, Foxie and Annie would occasionally attempt to play, and it almost always ended up as a fight. They just didn’t have enough trust in one another.

Things sure have changed.

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I wouldn’t say that Foxie and Annie are best friends now, but they certainly have come to understand each other more and they even engage in rough and tumble play from time to time without it erupting into a conflict. This morning, Foxie even allowed Annie to playfully steal (and dismember!) one of her Dora dolls. That’s when you know you are a member of Foxie’s inner circle.

Missy has wings

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While Jamie and I walked around Young’s Hill yesterday, Missy decided to make her way across the hill via the highest points of the climbing structures. I think she traversed every climbing structure the chimps have on the hill, taking in the view from each spot. Walking is boring, if you’re Missy.

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As Jamie and I reached the top of Young’s Hill, Missy raced pass to the next climbing structure and we were greeted by Foxie, Dora and troll, who were on their way over to check out what was happening on the neighbor’s property. Foxie spent most of the morning sitting on the very top of the new structure. Balancing precariously (from my perspective, not hers) on the railing to be precise.  She spent over an hour all on her own, seemingly taking in the view in every direction from the highest lookout on the hill.

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Back to Missy, who took Jamie’s and Carlene’s Towers across the top of the hill. My heart will never tire of watching the chimpanzees as they take in the views from the hill. My heart swells thinking of the courage they’ve found to climb to such heights and sit peacefully in solitude. Can you just imagine the awe they must feel after having survived over 30 years in cages the size of bathroom stalls to now find themselves with the freedom to run, roam, and climb to their hearts’ content? The awe they must feel when taking in such a vast landscape after having lived in a windowless basement?

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You can just see Missy’s head at the bottom of the ladder as she looks toward Jamie and I at the bottom of the hill. At this point Missy ran full speed all the way down the hill and back to the greenhouse. But then, why walk when you can fly?

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Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for the support and love you so generously share with the chimpanzees. And thanks to all of you who were able to participate and make our amazing auction as amazing as it was. It’s each of you that make this life of awe, wonder and hope possible for the chimps.